Combination corset and brassiere



Dec. 15, 1931. 1 J. MEAD COMBINATION CORSET AND BRASSIERE Filed Aug Patented Dec. 15, 1931 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE LARKIN J. MEAD, OF AURORA., ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO AURORA CORSET COMBANY, F AURORA, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION 0F ILLINOIS COMBINATION CORSET AND BRASSIRE Application led August 28, 1931. Serial No. 559,960.

waist line, to flatten the diaphragm and upper abdomen, and to hold in the superfluous flesh of the upper back of the wearer.

Other objects and advantages will appear from the following specification:

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a plan view of the outside of a garment embodying my invention.

Fig. 2 is an enlarged plan View of a detail of construction, showing particularly a part of the brassire which overlies the corset at the side-back.

Fig. 3 is a vertical sectional view taken on the line 3 3 of Fig. 2, looking in the direct-ion indicated by the arrows.

In that embodiment of my invention shown in the drawings, the front of the corset consists of a center front panel 10 and side-front panels 11 and 12, preferably made of nonelastic material, with a gore 13 of elastic material in the lower portion of the center front.

The back of the corset comprises a center back panel 14 and side-back panels 15 and 16, stitched together longitudinally and preferably made of non-elastic material. At each side of the corset back is an elastic panel, the same being indicated at 17 and 18, respectively. The panel 18 is stitched to the sections 16 and 11, respectively, and the panel 17 is provided with fastening devices 19 which co-opcrate with fastening devices on the free edge of the panel 12 of the front.

The corset is intended to encircle the body of the wearer from slightly below the hips to slightly above the waist line, the upper margin of the connected back panels being indicated in Fig. 1 by the dotted line 20.

The brassire preferably comprises front sections 21 and 22 which may be stitched together at the center front or may be formed 5 integrally as desired. The front of the brassire is stitched to the top margins of the front panels of the corset as indicated by the line of stitches 23. The back of the brassire comprises two sections, 24 and 25, of greater length than the front sections of the brassire. The back members are sufficiently long t0 cover part of the back of the wearer above the waist line and to extend below the margin 2() of the corset to a substantial extent, the brassire overlying the corset. The several brassire sections are preferably made of flexible, substantially non-elastic material and have attached to their upper margins the usual shoulder straps 26.

The material forming the members 24 and 25 is cut away as indicated by the lines 27 and 28. Three elastic strips 29, and 31 fill out the cut away portions. By reference to Fig. 2 it will be seen that the strip 30 is wider than the other two, being substantially as wide as the length of the margin 28, and the lon itudinal margins of the strip 30 are paral el with each other and substantially parallel with the top 20 of the corset, when the brassire is in normal position overlying said corset. The strip 29 overlies the strip 30 near its upper edge, at that end toward the center back, and extends upwardly relatively to the strip 30 toward the side of the corset. The strip 31 overlies the strip 30 near its bottom, at that end toward the center back, and eX- tends downwardly relatively to said strip 30, toward the side of the corset. The strip 29 may be stitched to the margin 27 of the brassire members 24 or 25 but preferably the three elastic strips are not stitched to each other along their longitudinal edges. They are arranged as heretofore described and while held in superposed relationship, they are stitched to the margin 28. The brassire members 24 and 25, together with the elastic insert strips attached to the margin 28, are arranged 0n the corset back to partially overlie the panels 14 to 18 inclusive, substantially as shown in the drawings, and then the brassire section 25 and the corset panel 18 are stitched to the front of the garment by the longitudinally extending stitches 32, and the opposite members, 24 and 17, are held together by the tape or fabric strip stitched thereto, as

indicated at 33. The fastening devices 19 along the free edges of the members 17 and 24 engage fastening devices on the members 22 and 12 heretofore described.

The back sections 2i and of the brassire are provided with eyelets il along their longitudinal proximate margins at the center back, and aflacing cord 35 extending through said eyelets fastens and brassire sections together and adjusts the brassire circumferentially of the wearer.

The brassire sections 24 and 25 are independent of the back of the corset, being stitched only longitudinally along their side margins to the side of the corset. The strips 29, 30 and 31 are preferably independent of each other along their longitudinal edges or throughout a substantial part of their length. This arrangement permits of proper adjustnient of the brassire to various types of figures. lf the garment is worn by a person whose hips and bust measurements are in proper proportion, the space between the eyeleted edges of the brassire will be of substantially the same width throughout its length and the strain on the elastic strips 29, 30 and 31 will be normal and substantially evenly distributed. However, if the body of the corset is fitted to properly encircle the hips of a wearer whose bust measurement is proportionately small, the lacings 35 will draw the brassire sections together to a greater extent at the top of the opening than at the bottom, and more strain will be put upon the strip 29 than upon the strip 31, assuming the lacings are drawn tightly enough to make a smooth fit at the waist line. If the garment is being worn by a person whose bust measurement is proportionately large, the brassire back sections will be adjusted accordingl and the increased spread between the baclf sections near their upper edges will have a tendency to draw the brassire upwardly at the center back relatively to the corset body, and in that case the lowermost strip 31 will be subjected to greater strain than the other stri s.

Fxbr this reason I prefer to make the elastic parts of the brassire back of a plurality of strips of elastic material, although said inserts ma be made of one piece without departing rom the scope of my invention. The arrangement is such that the garment can be made to fit smoothly and snugly at the waist line, notwithstanding the fact that the figure of the wearer may not be what is deemed normal for the particular garment.

Changes may be made in details of construction without departing from the scope of my invention and I do not intend to be limited to the eact form shown and described, except as set forth in the appended claims.

I claim:-

1. A combination corset and brassire com- 05 prising a corset adapted to encircle the body of the wearer from below the hips to slightly above the waist line, and a brassire comprising a front section, stitched to the top of the corset at the front, a pair of back sections partially overlying the back of the corset and each secured to the back along one longiudinal side margin, but otherwise independent of the back, said brassire back sections being provided with rows of eyelets along their proximate margins, lacings for fastening said eyeleted edges together, and an elastic insert located in the lower part of each brassire back member adjacent its side edge.

2. A combination corset and brassire comprising a corset adapted to encircle the body of the wearer from below the hips to slightly above the waist line, and a brassire comprising a front section, stitched to the top of the corset at the front, a pair of back sections partially overlying the back of the corset and each secured to the back along one longitudinal side margin, but otherwise independent of the back, said brassire backsections being provided with rows of eyelets along their proximate margins, lacings for fastening said eyeleted edges together, and an elastic, insert consisting of a plurality of non-parallel elastic strips located in the lower part of each brassire back member.

3. A combination corset and brassire comprising ay corset adapted to encircle the body of the wearer from below the hips to slightly above the waist line, and a brassir comprising a front section, stitched to the iop of the corset at the front, a pair of back sections partially overlying the back of the corset and each secured to the back along one longitudinal side margin, but otherwise independent of the back, said brassire back sections being provided with rows of eyelets along their proximate margins, lacings for fastening said eyeleted edges together, and an elastic insert consisting of a plurality of non-parallel elastic strips located in the lower part of each brassire back member, said elastic insert extending from the side edge of each back member toward but not to said eyeleted edge, and being widest at the side edge.

4. A combination corset and brassire comprising a corset adapted to encircle the body of the wearer from belowthe hips to slightly above the waist line, and a brassire com rising a front section, stitched to the top o the corset at the front, a pair of back sections partially overlying the back of the corset and each secured to the back along one longitudinal side margin, but otherwise independent of the back, said brassire back sections being provided with rows of eyelets along their proximate margins, lacings for fastening said eyeleted edges together, and an elastic insert located in the lower part of each brassire back member adjacent its side edge, each insert consisting of three elastic strips, extending cireumferentially of the garment, the

middle one being substantially at right angles to the eyeleted edge and the upper and lower strips overlying said middle strip to a greater extent at the end toward the center back than at the side edges of the back.

5. A combination corset and brassire comprising a corset adapted to encircle the body ot' the wearer from below the hips t0 slightly above the waist line, the corset being made ot' noirelastic material and having an elastic panel at each side of the back, a brassire comprising a from section stitched to the top of the corset at the. l'ront, and a pair of back sections partially overlying the back of the corset and each secured to the back along one longitudinal side margin, but otherwise independent ol' the back, sa id brassire back sections being provided with rows of eyelets along their proximate margins, lacings for fastening said eyeletcd edges together, and an elastic insert located in the lower part of each brafsire back member and overlying .said elastic panel at each side of the back.

6. A combination corset and brassire comprising a corset adapted to encircle the body of the wvearcr from below the hipsl to slightly above the waist line. the corset heilig made of non-elastic material and having an elastic panel at each side. of the back, a brassire comprising a front lsection stitched to the top of the corset at the front, and a pair of back sections partially' overlying the back of the corset and each secured to the back along one longitudinal side margin, but otherwise independent ol the back, said brassire back sections being provided with rows of eyelets along their proximate margins, lacings for fastening said eyeleted edges together, and an elastic insertlocated in the lower part of each brassire back member and overlying said elastic panel at each side of the back, cach insert consisting of three elastic strips, extending cirelnnlerentially of the garment, the middle one being substantially at right angles to the eyeleted edge and the upper and lower strips overlying said middle strip to a. greater extent at the end toward the center back than at the side edges of the back.

T. A combination corset and brassire comprising a corset adapted to encircle the body of the. wearer from below the hips to slightly above the waist line, and a brassire comprising a front section, Stitched to the top of the corset at the front, a pair of back sections partially overlying the back of the corset and each secured to the back along one longitudinal side margin, but otherwise independent of the back, said brassire back sections being provided with rows of eyelets along their proximate margins,v lacings for fastening said eyeleted edges together, the brassire back members being cut away to provide a rectangular space adjacent the bottom and side edges, and an elastic insert stitched at one end to the corset and at the other end to the edge of the brassire back adjacent the cut away portion.

8. A combination corset and brassire comprising a corset adapted to encircle the body of the wearer from below the hips to slightly above the waist line, and a brassire comprising a front section, stitched to the top of the corset at the front, a pair of back sections partially overlying the back of the corset and each secured to the back alon one longitudinal side margin, but otherwlse independent of the back, said brassire back 'sections being provided with rows of eyelets along their proximate margins, lacings for fastening said eyeleted edges together, the brassire back members being cut away to provide a rectangular space adjacent the bottom and side edges, and an elastic insert, comprising a plurality of elastic strips,'stitched at one end to the corset and at the other end to the edge of the brassire back adjacent the cut away portion.

In testimony, that I claim the foregoing as my invention, I afiix my signature, this 26th day of August, 1931.

LARKIN J. MEAD. 

